AMSTERDAM: From €8
(£5.46) Rip-off
check: 7/10.
Surprisingly bad. It even inspired a movie - Nachtrit
(2006) - about taxi war in Amsterdam
ATHENS: Around €3.50
(£2.36) which
is cheap. Rip-off check: Check
this interesting blog. Quite often cabbies won't
stop if you wave at them. Then you have to shout out the name
of the destination - presumeably in Greek - to the passing
cab. Be prepared to share your trip with another passenger
going the same way
BANGKOK: Around 105
Baht (£1.62) for 3-mile journey. It's quite normal
to be asked 200 Baht.
From 40 Baht (£0.61) for
tuk-tuk. Max 5 Baht (£0.08) for
canal boat. Rip-off check: 7/10 for
tuk-tuk if you are first-timer. Expect to flex your bargain
muscle, but do you really want to bargain for £1 less
with a poor tuk-tuk driver? 0/10 for
canal boats. No life jacket but fun as hell
BERLIN: €9.8
(£6.7) Rip-off
check: 3/10. Has
a very low rip-off rating
CAPE
TOWN: Max 13.8
Rand (£1) for minicabs. Rip-off
check: 0/10.
But it can be intimidating. You can hop on and off in a truly
African style. And it can get pretty full
CAMBRIDGE: From £2.20 for
the first mile, and £3.20 after
hours (7pm-7am). They should not charge for small bags, but they
do. Rip-off check: 2/10. The
worst are the unlicensed private hire taxis. Tips: Worth
fixing a price before starting off. "Our guest from France
was charged a hefty £20.00 for an eight mile journey (at
10 pm) from the city centre. The driver told him that our village
(8 miles on a regular daytime bus route) was "out of his
route". Be warned please
GLASGOW: From £3.50 If travelling to a Glasgow hotel from Glasgow International Airport - about £16 From anywhere in Glasgow to Glasgow International Airport £22 Rip-off check: 0/10 Glaswegian taxi drivers are very chatty and keen on talking about the history of Glasgow and its famous landmarks
KUALA LUMPUR: RM11 (£1.6) Rip-off check: 1/10 at designated taxi stops. 6/10 if you're a western tourist staying at a 5-star hotel. They'd rather drive you to the nearest MRT station than across town. Hard to get one during rush hour.
LONDON: £11 (USD$21.8) for a black cab. Rip-off check: 0/10 for black cabs. 9/10 for unlicensed minicabs outside city clubs at 2am. Steer clear of unlicensed minicabs. On average, ten women are sexually attacked by illegal cab drivers each month in this city.
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MOSCOW: 153.5 Rubels (£3). Taxis are not metered. Rip-off check: N/A. "Depends on personal confidence and level of Russian, not to mention stupidity of the payee". OK, we hear you
NEW YORK
CITY: USD$12 (£6). Rip-off
check: 2/10.
As long as you ask for a receipt, you shouldn't get ripped
off
KARACHI: From 200
Rupees (£1.65). Taxis
are not metered. You have to bargain. Whatever
the driver tells you, start with a price 200 rupees below that.
Typically, you'll meet him halfway. Rip-off
check: 10/10 unless
you know how to bargain. Especially watch out if you look obviously
foreign. Tips: Be tough.
Argue until they agree to your price, or something close. (They
usually will, particularly if you say "forget it" and
start walking away)
PARIS: From €5 (£3.47) depending on zones. Rip-off check: 0/10. Worth trying a new public transport phenomena, the Velib, or grey bicycles for hire. €1 - €5 (£0.69 - £3.47). You can use your credit card and then "deposit" your bike at nearest depot. (There is one every 300 metres). Please do not try after a heavy night of clubbing.
PANAMA: $1.50 (£0.74). Rip-off check: 2/10 unless outside an hotel or club with no Spanish, then 7/10
PHNOM PENH: USD$12 (£5.9) return for tuk-tuk ride from hotels to the temples. Air conditioned taxi around USD$30 (£14.8) return. Rip-off check: N/A but negotiate with tuk-tuks anyway
ROME: €10-15 (£6.8-£10.2). Rip-off check: 2/10 depending on traffic situation. Look like a lost Japanese tourist at your peril
SINGAPORE: SD$2.50 for the first km. SD$0.10 for the next 210m. SD$0.10 for every 175m after 10km. Surcharge of SD$3.00 to the airport. SD$5.00 surcharge during peak time. Rip-off check: 0/10. However, single white males and Japanese males should be weary of cabbies who want to pimp them prostitutes. Just say no.
QUEBEC: C$11 (£5). Rip-off check: 1/10. Has a very low rip-off rating
How much did you pay for a 3-mile journey in Tokyo, Shanghai, Sao Paolo, Dubai and everywhere else?
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The Travel Movie We Like...
The Darjeeling Limited
We are not going to do a critical appreciation of the movie — let the jobbing hacks do the intellectualisation.
Imagine a GQ fashion spread, and maybe
a bit of Condé Nast Traveller in moving images. This
is a such movie. The catwalk is a train called the Darjeeling
Limited. The plot is simply conveyed, frame by frame, situation
by situation, in simple dialogues. Three brothers with a lot
of baggage, literally, travel across this northern, hilly region — all
the time dressed impeccably in Marc Jacobs — in search
of their mother who is a nun living somewhere in the Himalayas.
Predictably, towards the end, they tower above the bickering,
drug (cough-syrup and pain-killer) abuse, and bond. And find
spirituality.
Watch out for the funeral scenes, where
the boys look dashingly handsome in dark outfits, and where
the villagers look like extras out of a Kipling advertisement
in their whites.
The dialogues are undemanding of our intelligence. But they're not stupid."You
can smell jasmine in the background?". "Do you want to have a smoke with me
in the bathroom?". The movie is beautifully conceived, designed and photographed.
The train is an eye candy. Sod the Orient Express. We all want to travel in
cerulean blue coaches across the Indian desert, with our iPod.
Moral of the story: Want
to travel light? Lose the baggage.
The show
stealers: The
Louis Vuitton luggage with tiger prints, the Marc Jacob suits
(black macs, black jackets, black shirts and brown ties make
a fine look for a funeral) and the huge 70s-style tinted
glasses.
Director: Wes Anderson. Cast: Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, Anjelica Huston. Cinematography: Robert Yeoman. Production designer: Mark Friedberg. Costume designer: Milena Canonero.
Our verdict: Get it on DVD. www.thedarjeelinglimited.co.uk
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Thumbs Up: The Eurostar
Route: (King's Cross
St Pancras - Paris Gare du Nord). Two-hour train journey.
Since its launch as the new London hub
in November 2007, the Eurostar has not disappoint. Alright,
the St Pancras station was not quite finished yet in December
and the queue for ticket collection is still slow due to chinwagging
staff. But being able to board 15 minutes before departure
is absolutely ace. Pictured above is a snapshot of a
happy trip in the Economy class.
Sojournpussy likes: The
First Class. Fuss-free and friendly. Good champagne served
with a great selection of magazines on board.
The food: Quite impressive
by travel catering standard. Most importantly, they are organic
and and pro-Fair Trade. The restaurant coach is not that spacious
and sways a little but we are not complaining.
On the menu: In First
Class – Choices of chicken brochette in cajun spices,
Scottish salmon and organic prawns with citrus dressing. At
the restaurant – Organic blueberry cheesecake and salmon
salad. 100% recyclable packagings.
www.eurostar.com |
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